Thursday, November 6, 2008

Pruning field grown trees

Today I have started to prune the Chinese quince. Fortunately the deciduous trees all lose their leaves at different times. We prune the trees that are free of leaves to be able to see the interior of the tree. When we prune the Chinese quince, we leave a leader at the top unpruned. This way the tree will develop a larger trunk faster. Then we remove any of the crossing branches. Then we remove the long shoots and prune to shape. What you are left with is a tree with nice movement, taper and branched in good places. If the tree does not have movement, I make a drastic cut and allow one of the lower branches to take over as the leader. I also make a drastic cut if the tree does not have taper. After a few years of pruning, using these methods, you will be left with a tree with a very nice frame that has good movement. The rest is a matter of time. In the spring I will be digging some of the Chinese quince that will be sold for the year. I dig various sizes so that I will have different price points to sell. I also have many trees still that are available to tag. People come to our nursery and tag the trees in the fall. In the spring, they bring a container, pay for the tree and dig the tree out to take home. If you have any questions about the pruning techniques that we use, call me at 805-929-4818 and I will answer your questions. Sincerely, George Muranaka owner Muranaka Bonsai Nursery

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Muranaka Bonsai Nursery was started by my father Kanemi Muranaka in 1978. He initially field grew trees and sold tools to the local bonsai club. By word of mouth we have grown into a very well known grower throughout the U.S. Our specialty is field grown trees. Our specialty is the Japanese black pine. We import seed stock from Japan. The seeds are Mikawa black pine seed stock that is known for its short needles and rough bark when the tree is pruned properly. We take the seed and plant them into seed trays. When they are a year old we prune the trees and transplant them into one gallon cans. Then we take these seedlings and transfer them into the ground. When the trees are growing in the ground, we prune them annually with techniques that were taken from Japanese bonsai books and from our years of experience. This way we can control the movement, the taper and growth of the tree. We use the same care for our other varietals of trees as well.

We field grow many different types of trees. Some of the varietals that we specifically grow for bonsai are: Japanese black pine, Japanese red pine, Chinese quince, Japanese flowering apricot (ume), trident maples, San Jose junipers, prostrata junipers, cork elms, seiju elms, atlas cedars and a small handful of other trees. We also carry these trees in containers. Recently I have started to take air layers from San Jose junipers, Japanese black pines and Japanese red pines. I wish I had learned the techniques to air layer pines many years ago! I have been quite successful with the air layers. If you need information on how to air layer these trees, let me know and I will try to give you advice and tips. We carry trees but since we are a full service bonsai nursery we carry other things as well.

We carry bonsai pots, tools, books, wire, and can make special orders to order everything for your bonsai needs. We also transplant, prune, plant set, and consult. We can also do demonstrations, workshops, lectures and tours. If you need anything, our mailing address is: